The Spark That Lit The Flame
by Squint-la
Summary: It started out with a momentary lapse in judgment, a rush of post-battle adrenaline, and just a little too much alcohol. All of a sudden, Tony ended up with more than he bargained for. Now he had an illegitimate child, an indefinable relationship with the God of Mischief, and no idea how to handle any of it. But some things have a way of working themselves out in the end.
1. A Spark

Chapter 1: A Spark

It started out with a momentary lapse in judgment, a rush of post-battle adrenaline, and just a little too much alcohol.

Tony Stark had stumbled into his bedroom just after midnight and immediately come face-to-face with the God of Mischief himself. Before he had a chance to process what was happening, Tony found himself pressed against the wall, Loki's lips fiercely attacking his own. Slender hands held his arms, pinning him against the wall, and as soon as Tony regained control of himself, he fought back, fighting Loki for dominance. His hands tangled in the god's hair, yanking experimentally, and he smirked at Loki's responding moan of pleasure. His focus moved downwards, working at removing his armor. Loki broke the kiss for a brief moment, flicking his hand, and suddenly they were both naked.

Tony didn't have time to consider this before Loki's mouth was on him again, tangling their tongues together. He fought back a moan and instead dug his nails into Loki's lean shoulders. Loki arched into his touch and grabbed Tony, pulling him closer and shuffling towards the bed.

The night passed by in a whirlwind, both of them ravishing each other and fighting for dominance, for the opportunity to make the other submit to his will. Loki overpowered Tony, teasing him with that slick tongue over his cock; Tony fought back, bending Loki over the edge of the bed and threatening to fuck him senseless, nearly succeeding. Several hours after Loki's first appearance, the two were spent, and they collapsed back on Tony's bed, panting and covered with sweat and come.

Loki said nothing. He looked over at Tony, his breathing growing steady. He studied the other man, his expression measured. Tony met his eyes, not daring to speak.

Loki stared at Tony for a moment, when suddenly, he cupped his chin in his hand and kissed him. It wasn't rough or heavy like before. It was…soft, Tony realized. Almost sweet. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

Loki pulled away and looked back up at the ceiling. Tony avoided his gaze. He realized that he didn't want to ask what that was about.

There was a soft rustle of fabric, and when Tony looked to his side, Loki was gone.


	2. Smoldering Embers

Tony had decided it was best to forget about the incident with Loki altogether. The god was captured and returned to Asgard to be dealt with there. The Avengers were left to deal with other, admittedly less interesting, villains.

Most of the team had pretty much moved into Stark Tower after a few weeks. Bruce, Steve, and Thor were always hanging around, and while the others made themselves scarce for the most part, they weren't unheard from. Most of the group's training exercises now took place at Stark Tower, and Tony was working on designing facilities for everyone.

Three months had passed, and the Avengers had pretty much adapted to living in Tony's mansion. It was now fully equipped with an archery and shooting range for Clint, a well-stocked lab for Bruce, a practice area specially designed to handle the power of Mjölnir, a full gym for Steve, training facilities for Natasha, and the works. Steve had suggested weekly movie nights for "team bonding," and the rest had reluctantly agreed after some persuasion from Thor. They grew closer, and as much as Tony absolutely hated to admit it, they were starting to become friends.

Six months, and Tony had all but forgotten the incident with Loki. He was far too preoccupied with other matters to think about that one night with the God of Mischief. He and Pepper had broken things off, and while he was a little upset at first, they were still great friends, so it didn't bother him for very long. He was back to his old self, with the addition of the Avengers in his life.

Loki, on the other hand, hadn't forgotten. He hadn't been able to, and it wasn't long before Tony found out why.

Thor was the first to know. Loki appeared unannounced in his quarters one night, looking as though he hadn't slept in weeks. From what Thor could see, he was even paler and thinner than normal. Thor frowned as he took in his brother's appearance.

"Brother," he began, but he fell silent when he noticed the small bundle in Loki's arms.

Loki met his eyes and gave a small nod.

Thor was no stranger to this. His brother's numerous escapades over the centuries had left him the father (and mother) of many children. Still, it had been quite a long time since he was last with child, and Thor had to wonder when he had been able to accomplish such a feat amidst all the chaos of the past year or so.

He stepped towards his brother, examining the bundle in his arms. Loki moved part of the blanket wrapped around the child, revealing the face of a sleeping baby girl.

Thor reached for her. "May I?" he asked, and Loki carefully handed Thor his niece.

Thor guessed that she was a newborn, though she looked as a human would at several months. She had beautiful raven-colored hair that fell to her shoulders with a slight wave. It was clear that she was Loki's daughter. Still, Thor wondered, who was her other parent?

The child's slumber was interrupted by a loud rapping on Thor's bedroom door. "Thor!" shouted a voice from outside. Tony Stark.

The girl in his arms woke up suddenly and began to cry. Loki sighed, rolling his eyes, and took her back from Thor. "Shh," he whispered, rocking her gently in his arms.

"What the hell?" said Tony, quieter this time. "Who's crying in there?"

Thor opened the door, immediately shushing Tony. He started to say something else, but his words left him when he caught sight of Loki and the child. Loki had stiffened strangely upon seeing Tony, and Thor looked between the two of them, eyes widening as he realized something.

"Loki," he said slowly, "is this—"

"Thor, I think you should leave," Loki snapped.

Thor was about to argue that they were in his bedroom, but then he saw the look on Tony's face. He sighed.

"All right," he agreed, stepping past Tony and out into the hall. He closed the door, leaving the two of them alone in his room. It didn't feel right to eavesdrop, so Thor decided that he would find something to occupy himself until they were finished with their conversation.


	3. The Faintest Glow

Tony stood just inside the doorway, careful not to step too close to Loki. He looked terrible, almost ill. Tony had no idea what his intentions were, especially after he had sent his brother away. For whatever reason, he seemed to want to speak to Tony privately, and that idea made him more than a little nervous.

After a long moment of silence, Tony made an awkward gesture towards the baby Loki was holding. "Yours?" he asked.

"Yes."

Tony nodded. "Who's the lucky bride?" he joked, hoping to ease the tension.

To his relief, Loki smiled. "Oh, you'll regret saying that."

"Why?"

"Because she's yours."

Tony blinked, unsure if he heard right. "I'm sorry, but what?"

Loki stepped towards him, and the child stopped crying for a moment, looking around. She definitely looked like she could have been Loki's child, but her eyes were different. They weren't the bright, striking green of Loki's. They were brown, much like Tony's.

"Your eyes," Loki pointed out.

"Yeah," said Tony in a low voice.

He stared for a moment, watching as she looked back at him, eyes wide. She regarded him with a sort of attentive curiosity he didn't even know children her age were capable of. It was almost as though she knew who he was already. If Tony didn't know better, he might have thought that she knew even more than that.

"You may hold her, if you'd like," offered Loki.

Tony's attention snapped back to Loki. He seemed serious.

"I…" Tony thought about it. "Yeah, actually. I'd like that."

Loki carefully passed his daughter into Tony's outstretched arms. She didn't react much, just shifted a little until she was comfortable. She looked up at him and giggled, and Tony found himself smiling back.

"How old is she?" he asked Loki, not looking away from his daughter.

"A few days." Then, seeing the confusion on Tony's face, "She seems to mature rather quickly. For instance, the pregnancy itself lasted only six months."

Tony looked up at that. "You…you were pregnant?" He bit back a laugh.

Loki was not as amused. "In a sense, yes. It is difficult to explain to a mortal."

Tony nodded slowly. This probably wasn't the weirdest thing Loki was capable of, but he decided that he wasn't interested in testing that theory.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Tony asked. He knew there was a purpose for Loki's visit. "I'm assuming you didn't bring her here only to take her away again?"

Loki smiled slightly. "No, I did not. While I would not trust you to raise my child, or any child for that matter," Tony had to laugh a little at that, "I planned on allowing you to interact with her. Especially since she seems more human than I am used to."

"Great. So does that mean you two are going to visit me from that so-called prison you're supposed to be trapped in on Asgard?"

"More or less, yes. We will return once a week—"

"Hold on a second," Tony interrupted. "That's it?"

"Once a week," repeated Loki. "No more. That's the deal."

Tony thought it over. "Fine," he agreed.

The child began fidgeting, and Loki reached out for her, leaning her against his shoulder and bouncing her slightly.

"What are we calling her, then?" Tony asked, realizing that he didn't know his daughter's name.

"I have not formally named her yet," Loki said, looking up at him. "Both parents are typically involved in such a process. However, I have been calling her Anfrea."

Tony stared at him. "'Anfrea'?"

"Is that a problem?" asked Loki, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"It's just…Anfrea," he repeated. "That sounds like a name for a horse, not a kid."

Loki snickered quietly, and Tony almost asked what was so funny, but he decided that he didn't want to know.

"How about Astrid?" he asked after some thought.

Loki raised his eyebrows. "Astrid?"

"Yeah. That's Old Norse or whatever, right?"

"It is," answered Loki, and he seemed to consider this for a moment. He looked back up at Tony. "All right," he said, to Tony's surprise. "I suppose I'll humour you. We'll call her Astrid."

"Awesome," said Tony, still a bit shocked. He hadn't expected Loki to agree with him that quickly.

"All right," said Loki again. "If we're finished here, Astrid and I will be heading home." He glanced towards the door. "If you could tell my brother not to worry, that I have everything under control?"

"Will do," agreed Tony.

"Excellent." He turned to leave, and hesitated, as if another thought had occurred to him. He looked back to Tony, moving swiftly towards him until their faces were barely an inch apart.

"I need not use her as an excuse to visit," he told him, his voice barely a whisper. "Remember that."

And he was gone.

Tony stood there, an expression of mingled shock and confusion across his face. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Did Loki plan on returning to Earth to wreak more havoc? Or did he want to visit Tony alone, perhaps cause a repeat of that first night back before he went off to Asgard? Either way, Tony was in no way prepared. He was halfway down to the bar for a much-needed drink before he remembered Thor.

"Fuck," he muttered as he turned around to look for the other god.

He didn't have to look far. Thor had disappeared to his training room somewhere during their conversation. Tony stood in the doorway, waiting until Thor saw him, not wanting to shock him while he had Mjölnir.

Thor turned around and saw Tony, smiling widely. "Anthony," he greeted, walking across the room. "I take it you are finished conversing with my brother?"

"Yeah, we're finished," said Tony. "He said to tell you not to worry, that he's got it under control."

Thor frowned. "No doubt he does," he said quietly. He looked at Tony with concern. "Have you?"

Tony sighed. "Yeah, I think I've got it."

Thor nodded, smiling again. He clapped Tony on the shoulder. "Excellent. Rest assured that you have my blessing. And give my regards to young…"

"Astrid," Tony informed him.

"Astrid! A lovely name indeed." He smiled warmly, and Tony had to smile back.

Thor meant well, Tony thought as he continued on his way to the bar, but he was a little misguided. He'd given his "blessing," as if Tony and Loki were getting married. Which couldn't be further from the truth. They'd had sex, yes, but that was a mistake; a hasty decision driven by lust, not love. They weren't in love. Loki didn't love Tony. Hell, he didn't even _like_ him.

Tony stopped short. Now that he thought about it, when they weren't trying to kill each other or save/destroy the world, Loki was surprisingly civil to him. He'd even go so far as to say that Loki seemed to _enjoy_ Tony's company.

He thought back to what Loki said about not needing Astrid as an excuse to visit. Did he plan on coming back because he actually _wanted_ to see Tony?

No, Tony thought, that's ridiculous. This was the first time he'd seen Loki in six months. If he'd wanted to visit him, he'd have done it earlier. That's what he told himself as he poured yet another glass of scotch and drank until he forgot all about Astrid and Loki and whatever this…_thing_ was between them.


End file.
